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Agra-therapy

Most people have felt the healing power of a good meal. When a meal reaches your soul and you feel a sense of contentment unmatched by anything else during the day. For some people this type of agra-therapy might be a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy, creamy macaroni and cheese or a savory slice of pepperoni pizza. There are other types of agra-therapy, such as going to a farmer’s market and shaking hands with the farmer. Recently, my wife and I have noticed an agra-therapist at our local supermarket. Her name is Laura and she works one of registers. I’ve heard shoppers comment how they will go through Laura’s line just to interact with her, even though her line may be longer. This evening my wife and I were buying groceries and Laura was gently handling the food and bantering with us. During our brief conversation she quickly turned around facing away from our food to cough, and it struck me how Laura can teach a customer a lesson in food etiquette without saying a word. At the same time she was asking us if we found everything we were looking for, she was giving instructions to a young girl on how to properly bag groceries, making sure she didn’t stack the potatoes on top of the lettuce.

Another agra-therapist that we encountered this week was at Manito Tap House in Spokane. Our waiter appeared at our table with a relaxed smile and informed me about a couple of beers. He also patiently answered some questions about the food, such as the chicken pot pie that was served a top whipped potatoes and gravy. Oddly enough this chicken pot pie had no chicken in it, but it did contain beef and lamb. At the end of the meal I left a generous tip for the gastronomy and the agra-therapy. Sometimes you hear people grumble about the price of food or a meal. When compared to the fee of a psycho-therapist, an agra-therapist is a great deal. I’ll always try to position myself to be in Laura’s grocery lane, and see a meal at a restaurant as something far greater than just food, as a good meal and service can lift your spirits far beyond the table. And I almost forgot, the chicken pot pie was amazing!